Calm Before the Storm
by fiorae
Summary: On a lonely, rainy day Naruto is there for his precious person. NaruSasu, NaruGaa Post Time Skip


Calm before the Storm

By fiorae

Summary: On a lonely, rainy day Naruto is there for his precious person. NaruSasu, NaruGaa Post Time Skip

--

Calm before the Storm

The sky was darkening quickly as the clouds gathered together and merged into one like a fluffy blanket over the village. Naruto peered over the building tops from his apartment's kitchen window. The large bowl lightly decorated with colorful circles felt slippery in his hands as he rubbed his yellow sponge around the inside. Washing dishes on a calm and stormy day was his favorite past time. It was, in fact, the only time he found he could muster the energy to do any form of housework. For this same reason his apartment was usually a cluttered mess, as it rarely rained in Konoha.

He sat the now sparkly clean bowl in the dishwasher then moved to pick up a curry encrusted plate. That one would need to soak. So he sat it at the bottom of his dish water and moved on to the cups. Soft rumbling outside made him smile. The thunder had arrived so the rain would be fast approaching.

Naruto remembered that he hadn't always enjoyed thunderstorms. There'd been a time, years ago, when he actually couldn't stand the idea of them. If he'd even felt a drop of water on his tanned skin, he'd run home as quick as he could and hide under his bed, fearful of the weather to come.

The glass cup he'd been working on slipped from his grip, crashing against the counter and clattering to the floor in a shower of shimmering fragments. Naruto cursed under his breath, got down on one knee, and began collecting the pieces. He tossed them into the waste basket nearby.

Sasuke had helped him conquer his fear of storms.

He remembered it like it was yesterday. They couldn't have been much older than six, playing outside at the little park in the middle of Konoha. Naruto had just sat on the swing, watching the other kids throw balls and draw in the dirt. He'd grown use to the solitude he was subjected to and the swings had developed into his personal domain.

The sky had grown dark rapidly and the rain started so suddenly. The other kids laughed, enjoying the showers. But Naruto bolted. He ran down the road as fast as he could, hoping to reach his home before the thunder started. The lightening caught him first.

It felt like the very ground shook and little Naruto fell to his knees. He clutched himself tightly, sobbing desperately for the storm to go away as the rain pelted him relentlessly. Then suddenly the showers stopped and a round shadow fell over him. He peeked his eyes open and looked up.

And there was Sasuke, holding a blue and white umbrella out over him. The older child was breathless, as if he'd been running a marathon. He held out his hand and pulled little Naruto up. And he didn't let go. Naruto stared at him, bewildered. But little Sasuke only smiled. They walked, hand in hand, back in the direction of the park.

Naruto grabbed the broom and dustpan, sweeping the glass pieces too tiny to pick up and dropping the whole mess into the waste basket. He sighed nostalgically. It'd been a long time since he'd seen his runaway teammate. He'd only be lying to himself if he said he didn't miss Uchiha Sasuke. Prideful jokes and all.

The rain had begun at some point. It came down in buckets, coloring the streets in a liquid reflection. Naruto leaned against the sink and watched the drops fall. He wondered if, somewhere far off, a certain black haired boy was watching these very same drops.

Soft but rapid pounding at the door made Naruto jump. He quickly dried his hands on a towel and scurried over to the door, wondering who'd be seeking him in this kind of weather. For the briefest of moments he got the fleeting notion it might be Sasuke. But that thought blew over as quickly as it'd come. He turned the knob and pulled the door open.

"Onee-san …!"

Temari, the older sister of Sunagakure's Kazekage, stood at his doorstep. Her normally spiked pigtails hung solemnly, mourning the sun, while her eyes were wild with distress. She breathed heavily, grabbing hold of Naruto's shoulders firmly.

"Is Gaara here?!" she cried. Naruto couldn't immediately formulate a response from the shock of seeing a Sand Sibling in Konoha. They didn't just pop up at random like this. He managed to utter an awed 'no', much to Temari's apparent disapproval. She bit her bottom lip and Naruto got the feeling something was wrong.

"Should he be?" he asked, motioning for Temari to enter the apartment. She shook her head in decline of the invitation, released Naruto's shoulders, and crossed her arms impatiently.

"He should. I hadn't come to Konoha since the previous events with elder Chiyo-baa-sama so I decided to pay a visit. When Gaara found out, he insisted on joining me," she paused, peered around the general area, and then continued. "… saying he wanted to see you. As soon as we arrived, he took off for your apartment."

Naruto scratched his cheek distractedly. He was perplexed by Gaara's sudden desire to meet with him but flattered all the same. Although he didn't see what was so alarming about Gaara having not arrived yet.

"He's probably just taking his time. You know how slowly he moves," he said with a chuckle. Temari's eyebrows furrowed into a worried position.

"Naruto, we got here over three hours ago."

Now this _was_ alarming. No matter how snail-like Gaara moved, it shouldn't take him three hours to complete a five minute walk. What could be taking the Kazekage so long? Naruto pressed his thumb to his bottom lip, absentmindedly watching the rain pouring. And then it hit him.

"It wasn't raining when you guys got here was it?"

Temari blinked at the sudden question. She shook her head. "No, the skies were clea …" And then it hit her too. She clasped her hands to her mouth, her eyes widening with horror. Naruto grabbed the umbrella sitting against the door frame and sprinted past her and into the storm.

Gaara had never witnessed a thunderstorm.

Living in Sunagakure his entire life how could he? The only kind of storm they would have got would have been one of sand. Temari and Kankuro left their village enough to know what a thunderstorm was like. But Gaara …

The puddles splashed as Naruto pounded the pavement. He moved as quickly as his legs would carry him, not really caring where. He had no idea where Gaara could have ended up. All he knew was if this storm was truly the Kazekage's first …

… he wouldn't be able to bear it alone.

The thunder growled angrily and the lightening beat the skies. Naruto could hear windows and doors slamming to shield those inside from the onslaught as he passed. Gaara wouldn't be behind any of those shields. But just where _would_ he be?

As fast as he was going, Naruto surprisingly hadn't tripped until that very moment. It took him a second during his plummeting to the ground to realize just what it was he'd tripped over. A red head and slim body sat in the feeble position on the wet pavement. Gaara's face emerged from the bundle like a turtle's from a shell. He stared down at the uncoordinated boy laying flat on his stomach next to him.

"Uzumaki-kun …" he spoke softly. Naruto rubbed his forehead (for he had landed directly on it) and sat up briskly.

"Gaara …! What the hell are you doing sitting in the middle of the rode?!"

Mint colored eyes narrowed slowly and pale lips parted gracefully. "This is a park."

At this, Naruto froze mid-rant. He looked at his surroundings for the first time since he'd taken off from the house. He wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was a subconscious action on his part. But somehow or another he'd ended up in a little park in the middle of Konoha.

That same park.

The sky screamed. Gaara shrunk into himself quickly and Naruto was reminded of why he came in the first place. He grabbed the umbrella and moved over to his friend. Then suddenly the showers stopped and a round shadow fell over the red headed boy. He peeked his eyes open and looked up.

And there was Naruto, holding a blue and white umbrella out over him.

An umbrella once held over himself so many years ago.

The younger boy was grinning, as if he had some kind of dirty little secret. He held out his hand and pulled Gaara up.

And he didn't let go.

Gaara peered at him, taken aback. But Naruto only grinned his foxy grin. A burst of thunder erupted and Gaara jumped, clinging close to the blond boy's side. Naruto chuckled softly.

"Don't worry. I'm right here."

And the two walked, hand in hand, back in the direction of Naruto's apartment. The direction of the worrying Temari.

The direction of the brightening skies.

--

"Here!"

Little Naruto stared down at the umbrella in front of him. He hesitantly reached out and took it.

"But don't you need it? You'll get wet without it …" he mumbled to the boy in front of him. Little Sasuke smiled softly.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Save that umbrella. You'll need it one day to protect someone precious."

It was a rather deep statement for a six year-old to make. But Naruto knew full well that Sasuke was never like others. Though, even he had trouble believing that the Uchihas could predict the future. His blue eyes fell down to the slightly shorter boy now attached to his side and he smiled.

That smug bastard was right again. It was almost a comforting thought that he wasn't there to rub it in his face.


End file.
